School Children Classes Affected by Cold, Many Families Face Issues Due to Political Reasons

The residents of the village of Shaghap in the Vedi consolidated community of the Ararat region have been facing serious water issues for a considerable time. This year alone, the main water pipeline of the village has been damaged three times, leading to freezing and disruptions in the citizens' water supply. Previously, a part of the village was left paralyzed for a whole day due to a power outage caused by damage to the local power station.

According to 1in.am, the power station was damaged due to gunfire from unknown individuals, and an investigation is currently underway regarding the incident. Reliable sources from the media have also revealed that there is a widespread belief among the residents that the incidents causing significant damage to the village are deliberate acts, motivated by political reasons aimed at inciting dissatisfaction against the current officials of the Vedi community and administrative districts.

The citizens are convinced that such criminal and destructive phenomena have become common due to impunity, inaction, the unprofessional nature of the legal system, and the lack of capability and will to administer justice. "First Information" has contacted Maro Arakelyan, the head of the Shaghap administrative territory appointed by Garik Sargsyan on January 13, 2022, who confirmed that the damage to the water lines has caused significant losses to the community. She did not deny that the incident has political motivations.

Basing her assumptions on certain known facts, she considers it likely that their political adversaries are orchestrating such unacceptable incidents to incite public discontent against the current officials in order to enhance their rating ahead of the upcoming snap local government elections. "I do not find it coincidental that the power pole was damaged the very next day after my appointment on January 14, and that it was done using gunfire. We have contacted the law enforcement bodies and hope that the criminal act will be uncovered through an objective investigation, which resulted in an entire neighborhood being left without power for a day," she noted.

According to her, her suspicions became more plausible when a day after the incident, no employees from the electricity grid were found to quickly resolve the issue. However, Arakelyan, not wanting to violate the presumption of innocence, refrained from naming any specific suspects. Nevertheless, she stated that regardless of who is responsible, such inhumane and ruthless actions are beyond human reasoning, posing significant dangers to the lives and health of hundreds of residents, including children.

"Our village is semi-mountainous, the winters are severe, and we do not use gas; we provide heating through electricity. Under these conditions, can you imagine what situation the school children have found themselves in, how they attended class freezing, and how many families are facing problems? It was a paralyzed situation for a whole day," said the head of Shaghap administration.